One of my favorite episodes of the original Ultraman series is "Terrifying Cosmic Rays" where a barrage of cosmic rays collide with the imaginations of children to bring their drawing of a friendly kaiju named Gavadon to life. As I quickly realized this episode of Blazar was a remake of that episode (yet another in multiple throwback tributes this series has done so far) I absolutely lit up with glee as the group of kids kept finding new ways to bring their drawing to life while trying to hide it from those pesky flocks of grownups. Once the sleeping Gavadon comes under attack by Ultraman, I like how they softened the violence of the original by making Gavadon basically a springy marshmallow (love the missiles just bouncing off), and how they frame the story around the separation anxiety of young friends about to be parted by a move. I even love the absurdity of Blazar forming his powers into a giant claw-game, yet still fails to pick up the giant plushie. The one issue is throwing Gavadon into the sky to become a constellation feels even more random of a conclusion in this story, and I wish there'd not only been an actual moment where Blazar and the children connect instead of him just being deaf to their pleas, but that the story circled things back to the childrens' drawings, making him a mascot of their friendship they'll continue to carry with them. Still, a blast of an episode.
Review by noelctBlockedParentSpoilers2023-10-22T16:49:47Z
One of my favorite episodes of the original Ultraman series is "Terrifying Cosmic Rays" where a barrage of cosmic rays collide with the imaginations of children to bring their drawing of a friendly kaiju named Gavadon to life. As I quickly realized this episode of Blazar was a remake of that episode (yet another in multiple throwback tributes this series has done so far) I absolutely lit up with glee as the group of kids kept finding new ways to bring their drawing to life while trying to hide it from those pesky flocks of grownups. Once the sleeping Gavadon comes under attack by Ultraman, I like how they softened the violence of the original by making Gavadon basically a springy marshmallow (love the missiles just bouncing off), and how they frame the story around the separation anxiety of young friends about to be parted by a move. I even love the absurdity of Blazar forming his powers into a giant claw-game, yet still fails to pick up the giant plushie. The one issue is throwing Gavadon into the sky to become a constellation feels even more random of a conclusion in this story, and I wish there'd not only been an actual moment where Blazar and the children connect instead of him just being deaf to their pleas, but that the story circled things back to the childrens' drawings, making him a mascot of their friendship they'll continue to carry with them. Still, a blast of an episode.